Marquard Group Continues Transformation With MBO

The Marquard Group, which owns 4Players, Computec and Golem in Germany, has completed a management buy-out with majority shareholder Dr Bijan Khezri. As private investors, the managing directors of the subsidiaries will each contribute two per cent. Generative AI is also an important topic.

Dr Bijan Khezri, previously Group CEO, has taken over the majority of the Marquard Group based in Switzerland. The managing directors of its subsidiaries, 4Players in Hamburg (Phillip Schuster), Computec in Fürth (Christian Müller and Rainer Rosenbusch) and Golem Media in Berlin (Benjamin Sterbenz), are each contributing two per cent as private investors. The group sees this as the end of its generational transition, but will continue to "transform" further.

Bijan Khezri, who has been at the forefront of Marquard Group's transformation as group CEO since 2017, comments: "From the early years of our transformation, we successfully scaled down the traditional print media business while entering growth markets. Our established media brands enabled us to enter innovative business areas: 4Players with B2B game servers and voice chat technologies, Golem with its IT academy and job market, and Computec with gaming PCs, innovation services, and as a leading Amazon affiliate partner in Germany. Business model innovation continues to lay the foundation for combining the tried and tested with the new. With a strong team, the MBO marks a new chapter for the Marquard Group, founded by Jürg Marquard in 1965, and ensures the continuity of this successful entrepreneurial legacy."

Generative AI is another future focus for the company with the appointment of Andreas Urbanski, Google's former director of AI, as chair of the AI Council. Urbanski was responsible for the commercialization of Google Cloud AI Solutions. Urbanski: "It is a great honor to lead the AI Council at Marquard Group. Generative AI will create new profit pools and transform audience relationships in media & entertainment.  For instance, digital engagement platforms will become trusted conversational AI agents. I look forward to bringing my digital business building expertise - with 14 years in Silicon Valley and most recently as a Director of AI Partnerships at Google - to benefit growth at Marquard Media."

Phillip Schuster, CEO of 4Players: "I am thrilled to once again step into an entrepreneurial role with Marquard Group as part of the Management Buy-Out. As a co-founder, 4Players is particularly close to my heart. I am proud to further advance our evolution into a leading provider of innovative SaaS products and to take on long-term responsibility at the group level."

Christian Müller, CEO of Computec: "My journey through three decades with Computec has been both a professional path and a personal passion. I have witnessed and contributed to our transformation from a publishing house into a modern, forward-looking media company within the Marquard Group. I am excited to shape the future of our company alongside all team members in this new capacity."

Rainer Rosenbusch, Group CFO and Managing Director of Computec: "I am proud to be part of a strong management team. As shareholders, we are now even more closely tied to the group and will contribute our expertise and innovative strength sustainably to further strengthen it."

Benjamin Sterbenz, CEO of Golem: "When I wrote my first lines for an online magazine as a student 25 years ago, I never imagined that one day I would shape the future of Marquard Group, and especially Golem, as a co-owner."

The Marquard Group's Board of Directors consists of Christoph Tonini (CEO of Swiss Marketplace Group, former CEO of TX Group), Marc Walder (CEO of Ringier, founder of Digital Switzerland), Luka Müller (founding member of MME Legal, co-founder of Sygnum Bank AG) and Thomas Rinderknecht (member of the Board of Directors of Lindt Sprüngli).

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